“It feels good knowing that in San Antonio, the message of grassroots, neighborhood-oriented politics is still what will carry the day — not money, not machine, but the citizens of District 8,” Nirenberg said. “I look forward to working with everyone who was so passionate about this race and this community, no matter which side of the campaign they fell on.”

Nirenberg won with nearly 55 percent of the vote — almost 10 points better than Briones. Atypical of run-off elections, Saturday's numbers exceeded those of the general election on May 11 when Nirenberg became the de facto frontrunner.

Nirenberg ran a grassroots campaign staffed primarily by volunteers, including a contingent of energized college students and recent graduates, who he calls the future of San Antonio.

Briones' campaign was a well-funded operation staffed by several well-known political consultants. The engineering firm owner spent tens of thousands of dollars of his own money and ran what's likely to be the most expensive campaign for a council seat in the history of recent city politics.

There was a lively crowd inside Franco's Italian Restaurant in the Alon Market, just beyond the District 8 boundary, where scores of Nirenberg supporters talked politics, toasted with champagne and ate pizza.

Nirenberg, who'll be sworn in Thursday, said he will work tirelessly to improve the quality of life in San Antonio.

Outspent 4-to-1 during the general election, the Nirenberg campaign was bolstered by the run-off shot.

“We were so excited when the runoff happened,” Nirenberg told his supporters during his victory speech. “It was a chance to advance the conversation.”

Briones held his watch party at Pedrotti's North Wind Ranch, where he declined access to San Antonio Express-News reporters and photographers.

In a post-event phone call, he thanked his supporters and said he'd met a lot of wonderful people and appreciated everything they'd done for him and his family. He told supporters that that he felt like he'd won.

“I guess about a month ago, I started hearing people tell me, 'I hope you win. I hope you win.' And I was all, 'Yeah, yeah. I hope I win, too,'” he said in a speech recorded by a supporter. “I'm going to win. I'm working hard. And after I started thinking about it, I realized that I'd already won. You guys are here.”

The two candidates campaigned for a year and have endured a bruising, bare-knuckles race that has included dirty politics and accusations of ethics violations by both sides.

On Saturday, Nirenberg's wife and son took the stage to introduce the new District 8 councilman. Erika Prosper called her husband a “loyal, good human being.”